City of Pines

Here’s a snippet!

My Nail Polish Remover Smells Like Watermelon!

I was shopping at this Korean store (Wedo at Fairview Terraces) since I was looking for gifts for my friends. Since I was in a Korean store, I would’t miss out what their beauty section offers.

I found this nail polish remover pads recommended by their sales staff. It’s compact and has different scents including kiwi, apple, grape, watermelon, and strawberry. Not only does it look cute, it’s cheap too. For only PhP 45 (around US$ 1),  you get 48 pads in one container. The sales lady said that you could use 2 pads for both hands.

I tried the watermelon one at home. It smells sooo good. However, I doubted that the pads would clarify my nail polish for both hands since the pads were too thin. To my surprise, I was wrong. 2 pads did the trick and all my nail polish were removed.

I love how it doesn’t make my hands dry like normal nail polish removers (acetone) does. It has the consistency of oil but it’s very light. I would definitely start using this whenever I remove my nail polish.

Since Christmas is almost here, this product is actually a good stocking stuffer for those who are really into nail stuff.

Until next time.

Love,

Steph

 

Tattoo Me, Please

I started wanting to get a tattoo back when I was 19. I was a university student and I could care less about what I do with my body at that time. My close friends had tattoos and one of them is a tattoo artist and the way he talked about getting tattoos made me want to get it so bad. It’s so convincing the way he said it would look cool showing it to your grandkids.

I was in Toronto at that time and tattoos are seen as body art and self expression. In the Philippines, it is taboo to get a tattoo since the culture values the body so much. People with tattoos then were just inmates.So, if you did have one, you are badass. Also, people think you are a selfish prick if you get a tattoo since you cannot donate blood for a few years. Well, what if I want to be a badass and a little selfish, huh?

I really wanted to get a tattoo at the bottom of my foot because it’s subtle, thus, my parentals won’t find out and kill me. But then, a few months ago, I was talking with my mom and she brought up the topic of tattoos. She was actually okay if we (my siblings and I) get it only, and only if we get it at the accredited places in Toronto (because of the blood donation thing).

Well, a henna will do for now since i’m so indecisive. The last one I got was from a trip we had at Palawan, Philippines. It was a hand henna with a mandala design that was free handed by a kid. That kid has talent. Like, he did my henna for 5 minutes tops.

As time goes, I keep on thinking what permanent tattoo to get and when to get it. And as time passes, I start to stop getting the itch of having a tattoo. There are days when I still want to get cute little tattoos on my fingers. But then, there are days when I don’t even care if I get one. We’ll just see where the waves settle.

Until next time.

Love,

Steph

 

 

How to Motivate Yourself to Workout

I finally worked out for a month. I don’t workout everyday. I do 2 days of gym and 1 active rest day. The first week was hard, but now I look forward to it. This blog is about working out. I might talk about changes in eating (hate the word dieting) in some other post. Remember, working out and eating properly goes hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. You just gotta do both.

How did I motivate myself?

I found my reason.

Finding a reason is actually the only major advise here. If your reason is good enough, you will just start working out. No one can take that away from you.

I was a lazy bum my whole college life that I barely had any exercise. I was not feeling my best self and I felt sluggish all the time. My health really affected my everyday life. It affected my confidence. It affected my productivity. I was a mess.

The peak of my reason was when my friends and I wanted to climb a mountain. I thought it was gonna be easy since everyone was doing it and I was informed that the climbing level for that mountain was for beginners (it’s not, my friend made us go so he said it’s for beginners). The turnout was that I never wanna do it again because I was panting all the way through the activity. I didn’t like that it was too sunny. I didn’t like that my legs hurt too much. I didn’t even get to enjoy the beautiful view from the top. It was a disaster.

I needed to be fit so that I could enjoy my life. I want to go on adventures. I don’t want to limit the things I could do because my body cannot handle that shit. I want to be able to climb a mountain and actually enjoy it.

I want to look good. I want to feel good.

Working out made my clothes fit better. Better fit of clothes = higher confidence. I want to wear whatever clothing I fancy without having the fear of being judged or mocked. Toned arms and legs are sexy.

I don’t want to get sick.

Inactivity will make you sick. I don’t wanna get a heart attack. I don’t want my leg chopped off because of diabetes. I want to live a long life. I want to see my future kids have their own families. Isn’t that reason enough?

I figured out when I should workout.

Workout when your body wants to workout. The best time for me is an hour after I have my dinner which is usually 7:30 pm. If you’re not a morning person, don’t sacrifice your sleep and force your body because you will be so stressed after a week that you wouldn’t want to workout again. Also, make it a habit. Schedule it. Jot it down your planner. Make time for it. You have time to eat. You must have time to workout.

I stopped making excuses.

When I was a student, I stopped working out because of projects, homework, etc. I had so much free time then compared to when I started working. I could have started then. You just gotta start doing it, ya know?

But Steph, going to the gym is expensive. Yes, it is. It is not a good enough reason to not workout though. There are so many blogs out there. Try Blogilates by Cassie Ho. She gives out a calendar every month which you can follow everyday. Also, it’s free as long as you subscribe to her blog! Half of the work is done by her since everything is already scheduled. You just gotta do the other half which is to actually workout.

I had and still have off days when I feel tired or if I’m just lazy to workout. Take that day off and start again tomorrow. Not the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow. Just fuckin’ do it, ya know?

What are you waiting for? Give me 10 burpees right after reading this.

Until next time.

Love,

Steph

Boxed Stripes

Coffee person for a day

Comfy pants

I had to do business transactions and do some errands around the metro and here are my thoughts:

Outfit

Top: Forever 21; Pants: Uni Qlo; Shoes: Parisian; Bag: Kate Spade

1. Boxed shirts go with everything. I wear this shirt pretty much every other week because of its versatility.
2. Found the work appropriate pair of comfy pants. It’s silky and it goes well with lots of tops. It can also be easily paired with different types of shoes including flats and heels.
3. If you don’t know what shoe to wear, wear the one that has the same color as your bag. I think I learned this from my mom. She buys shoes according to her bags.
4. Business casual is a thing!

Commute

1. Uber is a lifesaver especially if you do not know how to commute or if you have anxiety with driving. I really hate driving in Metro Manila. The traffic stresses me out and I get major anxieties while I drive.
2. Make the most of your time while in traffic. So much time is wasted while you are cruising to your destination. Since you don’t have anything to worry about since you’re Uber-ing, do something productive. I edited my pictures for my blog while in transit. I also made lists for everything like goals, groceries, savings, etc.

Enjoy

1. You can make any day special even if it’s just a day of meetings and errands by just thinking positive.
2. Traffic? Well, fuck that! I can make myself productive while in traffic. That’s what!
3. Business meetings taking to long to start? Fuck that shit! I can enjoy a cup of coffee in a posh coffee place.

Make the most out of your time while wearing business appropriate comfy clothes.

Until next time.

Love,

Steph

 

The Pros and Cons of Attending an Exclusive School for Girls

I think I know this topic well. Proof?

• Pre-school: SHS QC (Philippines)
• Grade School: SHS QC (Philippines)
• Middle School: SHS QC (Philippines)
• High School: Madonna CSS (Canada)
• Undergraduate: Miriam College (Philippines)

Can I add that the schools that I attended are mostly Catholic? Mostly since I also did and undergrad at University of Toronto (under the college of St. Micheal though, haha).

So here’s a few pros and cons into going in an all-girls school. This is based on my experience so don’t judge me.

Pros

1. You don’t have to be caught off guard when you don’t have makeup on since there’s no one to impress. It’s an exception if you really like makeup.
2. You can be a leader no matter what activity it is. Even if it’s a “guy” club like robotics. Who would fill that position? A woman. Wanna be the pres? Yes, you may.
3. Mixers, dances and soirees are really fun.
4. There will always be a tampon/pad that you can get immediately  (also, for free) when you get your period.
5. You can goof around without giving a shit on what you will look like minutes later. Sweating will in your uniform? Yas.
6. You can focus on your studies. Know what I mean?
7. Most exclusive schools give a damn good education. I was surprised I was competitive when I moved to another country.
8. Women empowerment!

Cons

1. Religion. Like they will force it down your throat. This only applies to some people though. It may be a good thing for some. (I think I am only Catholic on paper.)
2. If your circle of friends in life are just your school friends, you’re fucked. Which leads me to…
3. Some girls become socially awkward when guys visit their schools. Like, they howl and shit. What the hell. (cringe)
4. There’s so much drama. There’s so much hate. Why can’t we all just get along?
5. Even if there are no guys to judge you on your appearance, girls will judge you. They will judge how thick your brows are, what color of lipstick you’re wearing, your clothes, your actions, everything.

The list goes on but I will stop here.

Personally, I don’t regret going to an all-girls school because my experiences in those schools shaped my personality today. I learned how to get along. I also learned and became a leader. Also, I formed unbreakable bonds with my girlfriends.

Am I gonna send my kid to an exclsive school?

No. HAHAHA

Until next time.

Love,

Steph

20ish-Year-Olds at a Trampoline Park

You know how when you plan something with your friends, things really don’t go your way because you have to work with everyone’s schedules. Spontaneous trips are the answer to that.

I went to Jump Yard with my friends to have fun. Well, I just wanted to jump on the trampoline and land in a foam pit. My guy friends wanted to dunk a la NBA player.

Check out what we did.

 

To know more about Jump Yard, visit their website here.

Price

Instead of paying PHP 250 (USD 5.20), we only paid PHP 175 (USD 3.60) for an hour use of the facility if you get your tickets at Metrodeal. It is more expensive if you go on the weekends and during the holidays. To get the limited deal, click here.

Additional payment: You must use grip socks while in their premises. If you do have grip socks, then good for you since you don’t have to buy it from them. They sell theirs for PHP 100 (USD 2).

Location

Really accessible whether you live in the north or south of the metro. Parking is provided. It is near the famous Tiendesitas. Thus, you may go out for dinner and drinks right after your session.

Activities

• Dodge Ball
  • It is nice if there’s a bunch of you
• Slam Dunk Basketball
  • If you have friends that are really into basketball, they would love this. Trust me.
• Open Jump Trampoline
• Olympic Trampoline
  • You can jump higher here compared to the other trampoline and you can land in the foam pit. I was scared at first but when I got how to do it, I didn’t want to stop.
• Foam Pit
  • This is where you land and it looks good in the pictures. But, it smells so bad.
• Wall Climb
  • Test how fit you are. I felt so accomplished when I reached the top even though it wasn’t that high.
• Bars
• Etc.

Tips

• Bring extra clothes. You’re gonna sweat a lot.
• Don’t go during the 7:30 pm time slot because there’s a lot of people in the area. (We went on the 8:30 pm one and there were just 10 of us. We got to use all the facilities without waiting for our turn.)

Is it worth it?

Yas! If you are into fitness, an hour in this place is a good workout. Also, it’s really fun to jump around with your family and friends. I really thought it’s gonna be chill and all, but I was sweating buckets after just 10 minutes. I will definitely go again since it’s a fun way to exercise.

Til next time.

Love,

Steph

The Last Boy and Girl in the World (Siobhan Vivian)

Author: Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 26, 2016

Why did I read this?

• Cover
  • It’s pretty and would look good in my collection (basic bitch served in a platter).
• Clickbait (or should I say, readbait)
  • Thought it was post-apocalyptic and I love that kind of stuff.

Setting

• Aberdeen
  • Sinking town due to several factors including climate change and corruption
• Contemporary
  • Use of social media is prominent

Protagonist

• Keeley
  • She tried so hard turning things around for her and the people in the town to not feel so bitter about their situation. However, she does things in the book that annoy me but somehow I still want to root for her.

Theme

• Romance
  • I was surprised how it turned out at the end. I thought that it would be cliche where boy meets girl and they live happily ever after.
• Friendship
  • I was jealous that the main character has a childhood best friend but as I continued turning the pages, I felt otherwise. It was painful to read their friendship breaking apart. Love the drama.
• Family
  • Oh, the drama.

Is it worth the read?

• Yes, teenage angst at its finest.
• Started strong but dragged in the middle since I just wanted to know how it ends.
• Plus, the book jacket is really pretty.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Until the next one.

Love,

Steph

Steph-ing Out

Hi! As you have noticed, I started this blog (with not-so-funny puns) so that I could share what I experience outside my 9 to 5 office job. Yes, my work is as basic as life could get and my mind can’t/won’t stop bothering me with ideas.

This is what this blog is for.

• Style (Beauty and Fashion)
• Entertainment (Books and Movies)
• Life (Updates, Travels, etc.)

I seriously don’t know what the main theme would be or if I would even stick to one. I just want to start and so I did. Well, let’s just leave it like this for now.

Love,

Steph